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Plastic Surgery Institute
Isn’t It Time For a New You?
By PJ Maytag

There’s something about walking into the well-appointed offices of the Plastic Surgery Institute in Rancho Mirage that’s more akin to entering a decorator friend’s house. It just doesn’t feel like a medical office waiting room—which is nice and puts you immediately at ease. “It’s something we strive for, “ says business manager Joanne Liebeskind, who was taking the time to give me a tour of their facilities the other day when I visited. “We completely renovated the building about two and half years ago, we’re trying to make it more mid-century modern to fit in with the desert style.” Personally I love the look of the “new” Plastic Surgery Institute, you see, for me this is a bit of a homecoming. More about that later.
A large part of the Plastic Surgery Institutes excellence in cosmetic surgery is because it’s helmed by Dr. Andrew P. Ordon. Does that name sound familiar? It should, Dr. Ordon is also the co-host of the hit CBS show <I>The Doctors<I>, which you can catch weekdays at 9 am on KPSP channel 2. Dr. Ordon has been involved with the Institute since October of 2001 and has watched the practice grow and mature into one of the most respected of its kind in the nation. Together with his associate, Dr. Ritu Chopra, you can expect the highest standard in aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery from this capable pair.
If you’re like me, one of the first things you do when choosing a doctor is to research their schooling and accreditations and Dr. Ordon’s are outstanding. Briefly, as found on Dr. Ordon’s and the Plastic Surgery Institutes website, drordon.com. Here’s a glance at his medical background.
“Dr. Ordon is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of California where he earned his under-graduate degree with Honors in Biological Sciences. He then received his medical degree from USC School of Medicine with Honors in Medicine. His General Surgery and Head and Neck Surgery training were completed at USC, UCLA, and Loma Linda respectively. He then completed his training program in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the prestigious Lenox Hill Hospital/Manhattan Eye and Ear Infirmary Program in New York City. …Dr. Ordon is currently Assistant Clinical Professor of Plastic Surgery at Dartmouth Medical College, and the UCLA School of Medicine. His hospital affiliations include the UCLA Medical Center.”
Suffice to say his impressive list of professional memberships and affiliations are too numerous to list here, but you can look them up on his website.
Dr. Chopra’s medical background is equally impressive. After receiving a degree in Engineering at UC Irvine, he decided he really wanted to be a Doctor. He earned both a Master In Medical Sciences and a Medical Degree from the prestigious Boston University School of Medicine. Graduating Cum Laude BU school of Medicine he completed a six-year general surgery residency at the world famous Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills. He then further honed his skills with a plastic surgery fellowship at one of the best and most established programs in the country at the Albert Einstein School of medicine in New York.
Clearly with Dr. Ordon and Dr. Chopra you are under good hands at the Plastic Surgery Institute. And the medical facility is up to par with the doctor’s standards of excellence. As Joanne explains, “The surgical center consists of one laser room, two recovery rooms for overnight patients and our O.R. We’re certified by the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgical Facilities, which is actually the most difficult certification you can get in the United States. So we really have the highest standards for our facility here.”
But the Plastic Surgery Institute is much, much more than surgical procedures. They also specialize in the less invasive end of aesthetics. Summer is the perfect time to pamper yourself and show your skin some serious love. Whether you choose Botox, laser treatments including the new Fractional CO2 laser, thermage, microdermabrasion, peels or dermal fillers such as Juvederm and the wildly successful Sculptra treatments, there’s a fresh faced you just waiting to come out!
“Really about half our business is aesthetics,” Joanne says. “It is really well rounded. We also have an esthetician [Joan Denison] for facials and peels, so you can really take care of your skin here in one stop.”
In keeping with their tradition of excellence in patient care, one thing you can rest assured is that all their procedures are professionally administered, safe and time tested. Continuing education is stressed and actively sought by all the employees at the Plastic Surgery Institute. “Pam [Morelock] and Maria [Lilly; both are R.N.s] just went to a convention in Las Vegas about two weeks ago that was a big aesthetic convention featuring all the latest lasers, and injectables, and all of that. We like to keep abreast of the newest techniques available for aesthetics.”
Joanne also attributes the show, The Doctors for helping the Institute stay on the leading edge of plastic surgery and aesthetics. Dr. Ordon is constantly sought after by the producers of the show to try some of the newest surgical equipment available—all AMA approved of course. The search for the next big thing is a huge benefit for both clients and patients of the Plastic Surgery Institute who receive the best treatments and procedures available in the field.
I could rave on and on about the family atmosphere that permeates the care at Plastic Surgery Institute; they never treat you like just another medical record number. Their attentiveness to you as a patient, even if you’re there solely for a microdermabrasion, is five-star which explains why they have such a high returning client rate. Why go anywhere else when you’re treated like family the minute you step through the doors by either patient coordinator, Susan Bounds or surgical coordinator and office manager Rose Alsup? Rose even recognized me personally by name, even though it has been over five years since I was a patient—now that’s what I call service (and one hell of a memory)! Even Dr. Ordon, who personifies the busy doctor archetype, took a moment to pop in and say hello to me while I was in Joanne’s office conducting my interview.
I have to confess I’m not even going to pretend to be unbiased when it comes to the Plastic Surgery Institute and Dr. Ordon, I have personal experience as his patient and I couldn’t be happier with the procedures and stellar care I received from he and his caring staff. Having plastic surgery was a positive transformative experience in my life, one I would highly recommend doing if you’re considering having a procedure, and I can whole-heartedly say this is one of the finest plastic surgery centers in the desert—if not the entire country for that matter.
It’s the personal touches that go such a long way in making the search for personal improvement a pleasant experience at the Plastic Surgery Institute. It’s a breath of fresh air in a world of “take a number” plastic surgery care.

IF YOU GO—
The Plastic Surgery Institute, Dr. Andre P. Ordon and Dr. Ritu Chopra, 71-949 Highway 111, Ste. 300, Rancho Mirage. Call 760.568.2211 to schedule an appointment or for more information. Don’t forget to ask about any summer specials they may be having for certain aesthetic procedures! drordon.com